Stars on ESP, His Name Is Alive (1996)

Long ago, I discovered a quirky little record called Stars on ESP by His Name Is Alive, and loved it well for many years. I always assumed it was a sort of one-off; it had that feeling to it. Come to find out, though, that all those years while I was enjoying the tingly folky haunting but happy jangles of that one record, the band was moving on. Last Night (2002), Detrola (2006), and Xmmer (2007) are all just terrific. They wind around from blue-eyed soul to gothy 4AD synth to bread and butter pop to experimental beeps, but somehow maintain a fundamental coherence. And they’re from Livonia. I’m so proud.

It’s dangerous to provide samples because the group does so many different things, but this is what’s on offer, so here it is. Oh, total bonus: The Brothers Quay provide the visuals here.